Operation Branchform timeline: the full SNP money story

Murrell is the SNP's chief executive

Peter Murrell became the SNP's chief executive in 2001. The agreed court narrative says he was effectively the party's administrative head and had substantial control over its principal bank account, staff cards, invoices and accounting information.

In everyday language: This position of trust is why the offence was embezzlement: he was authorised to handle party money, but not to use it for himself.

The embezzlement begins

Murrell later admitted that his unauthorised use of SNP money began in August 2010. He used direct bank transfers, his own party card and cards assigned to two unsuspecting staff members, then disguised spending with misleading descriptions and account codes.

In everyday language: The public did not know this in 2010. It became an established fact only when Murrell pleaded guilty in 2026.

Scotland votes No in the independence referendum

The final result was 55.25% No and 44.65% Yes. That vote is the political starting point for the later appeals asking supporters to fund a campaign for another referendum.

£16,489 of party money goes towards a Volkswagen Golf

The SNP transferred £16,489 towards a Volkswagen Golf that became Murrell's personal car. The agreed narrative treats that payment as part of the embezzled total.

Scotland votes Remain while the UK votes to leave the EU

The next morning Sturgeon said a second independence referendum had to be considered. That political change led directly to the referendum proposal and appeal launched the following March.

The SNP launches an independence appeal

After Nicola Sturgeon announced plans to seek authority for another independence referendum, the SNP launched an online appeal with a £1 million target. Donors were told the money would support the referendum campaign.

Holyrood votes to seek referendum powers

MSPs voted 69–59 to authorise Sturgeon to request a Section 30 order from the UK Government. The order would have transferred legal power to hold another referendum.

The public page shows almost £482,000, then disappears

STV recorded a total of almost £482,000 on 8 June. By the next morning the fundraising page had been removed. The SNP said it had always planned a short campaign and that the money remained available for a future referendum.

In everyday language: That public total was not the later court-proved theft figure. The two numbers describe different things and cannot simply be subtracted from each other.

Two watches are bought and coded as event merchandise

Murrell used party money to buy watches costing £4,555.25 and £4,795. The payments were coded as event merchandise. Police later recovered the watches from SNP headquarters.

The SNP says the appeal money is ring-fenced

Responding to questions after the page closed, the party said the money was ring-fenced for the stated referendum purpose and had not been used for the general election.

In everyday language: The original appeal did not promise a legally separate bank account. But 'ring-fenced' commonly sounds stronger than the internal earmark and future-cashflow treatment described later.

Sturgeon delays the immediate referendum timetable

After the SNP lost 21 Westminster seats, Sturgeon said the plan would pause until the terms of Brexit were clearer. This helps explain why the appeal money was not immediately deployed.

A £332 watch roll is hidden in other expense codes

A Smythson watch roll was paid for with party money and described in the records as hotel and staff expenditure. It formed part of the offending admitted in court.

The first post-appeal annual accounts show £7,906 cash

The SNP's 2017 accounts reported £5.80 million income, £5.10 million expenditure, £7,906 cash and £528,276 net liabilities. They did not itemise the appeal as a separate fund.

In everyday language: Low cash raised a reasonable question, but it did not by itself prove misuse: annual accounts include assets, liabilities and internal commitments, not only bank balances.

False expense claims move £18,408.91 to Murrell

Murrell submitted false expense claims totalling £18,408.91. The court narrative also describes false supporting invoices, including one made to look like a £12,042 Apple invoice and another for £2,478 from Manufactum.

A second independence fundraiser begins

The SNP launched another appeal after Sturgeon set out a route towards a possible referendum. The party said donations would help send an independence guide to 2.46 million Scottish households.

The 2018 accounts report £411,042 cash

The next annual filing showed £411,042 cash and £591,077 net assets. The referendum appeal still did not appear as its own bank account or line item.

A £30 parking ticket is paid with the party card

Murrell used an SNP card for his own parking penalty. The amount was small, but the court included it as another unauthorised use of party money.

£57,500 of SNP money helps buy a Jaguar i-Pace

Two SNP transfers totalling £57,500 were used towards a Jaguar i-Pace costing £81,277. A false invoice made the payments look connected to event staging. The car was for Murrell's personal use.

Hundreds of online purchases are delivered to Murrell's home

The court record lists 383 Amazon purchases costing £42,660.74. From April 2020, almost all were delivered to Murrell's home. Another 238 purchases from other retailers between 2015 and 2022 totalled £139,971.

An egg poacher is recorded as computer hardware

A £23.98 egg poacher was bought with party money and coded as computer hardware and an Ethernet connection. It is a small purchase, but a clear example of how descriptions were changed to conceal personal spending.

The 2019 accounts show cash falling to £96,854

Cash fell from £411,042 to £96,854 and net assets were £271,916. Because the appeal money was not shown separately, the filing intensified public questions about how the commitment to donors was being accounted for.

In everyday language: A cash balance below the publicly discussed appeal total was not proof that £600,000 had been stolen or lost.

Murrell orders a £124,550 motorhome

A £12,500 deposit was placed on an unbranded motorhome. On 7 December, four transfers from the SNP's account paid the remaining £112,050. A false invoice described a different type of vehicle.

Treasurer Beattie says £593,501 can be deployed instantly

Beattie said the referendum appeal balance was woven through the party's overall income rather than shown separately, but could be deployed instantaneously for a referendum campaign.

In everyday language: That description and the later future-cashflow explanation are materially different. This timeline presents both and leaves readers to judge whether the wording met donor expectations.

The party accounts say £666,953 was raised for independence work

The SNP's 2020 accounts said appeals from 2017 to 2020 raised £666,953 and £51,760 had been applied. They said the remainder was internally earmarked, not kept in a separate bank account, and was managed through normal cashflow.

In everyday language: This is what the party stated in a regulated filing. The Electoral Commission's publication of an account is not a guarantee that every statement inside it was independently proved.

The motorhome is taken to Murrell's mother's home

The motorhome was delivered at Halbeath and driven to Murrell's mother's driveway in Dunfermline. Other party staff did not use or see it. When police seized it in 2023, it had four miles on the odometer and contained no campaign material.

Three finance and audit committee members resign

Frank Ross, Cynthia Guthrie and Allison Graham said delay and inadequate financial information prevented them carrying out their duties. Their resignations were put before the SNP national executive the next day.

In everyday language: Their stated concern was that they could not scrutinise the finances properly. A resignation is not, by itself, proof that a crime occurred.

Sturgeon tells the party executive its finances are strong

At the same national executive meeting, Sturgeon said the party had never been in a stronger financial position and cautioned members against suggesting there were financial problems. A recording became public in April 2023.

In everyday language: The words are documented. They are not evidence that Sturgeon knew about Murrell's embezzlement, and prosecutors later decided she should not be charged or investigated further.

Police receive the first complaint about independence donations

A complaint alleged possible mishandling of the money raised for another referendum. More complaints followed. Police first assessed the allegations before opening a formal investigation in July.

In everyday language: A complaint is a request to investigate, not a finding. COPFS later said that this wider inquiry uncovered Murrell's separate course of embezzlement.

National treasurer Douglas Chapman resigns

Chapman said he had not received the support or financial information required to carry out his fiduciary duties. Colin Beattie returned as national treasurer the following month.

Murrell sells a party iPad and keeps £701

Murrell sold an SNP iPad and arranged for the proceeds to be paid into his personal bank account. The transaction formed part of the embezzlement admitted in court.

Murrell lends the SNP £107,620

Murrell made an interest-free loan to help the party's working capital after the Holyrood election. The party repaid £26,905 in August and £20,715 in October, leaving £60,000 outstanding.

In everyday language: The loan was not the theft. It was real money advanced to the party, but the lender-specific regulatory report was submitted late.

Police open the formal investigation later called Operation Branchform

After receiving seven complaints and consulting prosecutors, Police Scotland opened a formal investigation into the SNP's funding and finances.

Murrell sells the Jaguar and keeps £47,378.76

The proceeds from selling the Jaguar i-Pace were paid into Murrell's personal account. The vehicle had been partly bought with SNP money and was not a party asset.

The next accounts show a £487,487 internal independence earmark

The SNP later reported £740,822 of cumulative appeal income and £253,335 of qualifying spending, leaving £487,487 internally earmarked. Year-end cash was £144,975 and the annual deficit was £751,572.

In everyday language: An earmark is an internal promise about future use. It is not the same as cash sitting untouched in its own bank account.

Murrell's loan is reported to the regulator late

The Electoral Commission was told the lender's identity in August 2022 and published the record on 2 September. The original loan and repayments should have been reported in the relevant 2021 quarters.

In everyday language: Late reporting is a regulatory failure. The Commission's correspondence records guidance; it does not establish that a fine was imposed.

Johnston Carmichael tells the SNP it will stop auditing the party

The firm gave notice months before the 2023 police searches. The SNP later said the decision followed a review of the firm's client portfolio and resources. The departure did not become public until April 2023.

In everyday language: No cited source says the auditor found fraud or left because of a police raid. The timing rules out saying the April 2023 raid caused the departure.

The admitted course of embezzlement ends

The public court narrative gives October 2022 as the end of Murrell's offending. By then it had run for more than 12 years.

The Supreme Court blocks Holyrood's proposed referendum route

The court unanimously ruled that the Scottish Parliament could not legislate for the proposed referendum without Westminster authorisation. The intended October 2023 vote could not proceed by that route.

In everyday language: This explains why the purpose named in the appeals remained politically unresolved. It does not decide whether the SNP's accounting treatment matched what donors expected.

The Murrell loan becomes a major public story

The SNP said Murrell had personally contributed money to help cashflow after the 2021 election. The named Electoral Commission loan record had already been published in September, but broad public attention arrived in December.

Sturgeon announces that she will step down

Sturgeon said she would resign as First Minister and SNP leader once a successor was chosen. No official evidence establishes that Operation Branchform caused her decision.

A separate membership-number row erupts

The SNP said 72,186 members could vote in its leadership contest, down from 103,884 reported at the end of 2021. Communications chief Murray Foote resigned after the party's earlier public response was shown to be inaccurate.

In everyday language: This was a party-governance controversy, not a police or court finding about money.

Murrell resigns as SNP chief executive

Murrell accepted responsibility for the party's response to the membership figures and resigned after more than two decades as chief executive. His statement was not an admission about the finance investigation.

Prosecutors authorise applications for search and arrest warrants

Police sent draft warrant applications to COPFS on 20 March. Crown Counsel instructed prosecutors to apply, and a sheriff granted the warrants on 3 April. Additional orders later obtained evidence from banks, retailers, HMRC and accountants.

In everyday language: A sheriff-approved warrant gives police legal authority to search or arrest. It is not a verdict.

Murrell is arrested; home, headquarters and the motorhome are searched

Police arrested Murrell at 07:45 and searched the home he shared with Sturgeon, SNP headquarters and the motorhome at his mother's driveway. He was released at 18:57 without charge pending further investigation.

In everyday language: The seizure did not itself prove how the motorhome had been bought. Its purchase with party money was established later through Murrell's guilty plea and the agreed court narrative.

The SNP reveals that its auditor left months earlier

It became public that Johnston Carmichael would not audit the next accounts. New First Minister Humza Yousaf said he had learned this only after becoming leader. The firm had notified the party in 2022, before the searches.

The SNP starts an internal governance review

The party's national executive created a Governance and Transparency Review Group to examine governance and financial oversight. It was an internal party process, not an independent police, court or regulator inquiry.

Treasurer Colin Beattie is arrested, released, then resigns the role

Police arrested Beattie as a suspect and released him later that day without charge pending further investigation. He resigned as SNP national treasurer the following day.

In everyday language: Beattie was never charged. Police formally ended their investigation of him in March 2025.

AMS Accountants Group becomes the replacement auditor

The SNP appointed AMS to audit both the central party and Westminster group accounts as filing deadlines approached. An appointment is not an audit conclusion or a finding about the police case.

Sturgeon is arrested and released without charge

Sturgeon attended by arrangement, was arrested as a suspect at 10:09 and was released at 17:24 without charge pending further investigation. She said afterwards that she had done nothing wrong.

In everyday language: At this point she was not cleared: inquiries could continue. That changed in March 2025, when police said she was no longer under investigation.

The 2022 accounts receive a qualified audit opinion and are filed

AMS could not obtain original documentation for some cash and cheque receipts involving membership, donations and raffle income. The Electoral Commission received the accounts by the July deadline.

In everyday language: A qualification means the auditor lacked enough evidence for a defined area. It is not automatically a finding of theft, false accounting or embezzlement.

Published accounts show an £804,278 deficit and £46,766 cash

The 2022 accounts reported £4.25 million income, £5.05 million expenditure, net liabilities of £219,629 and £46,766 cash. Publication made the submitted numbers public; it did not mean the regulator had verified every figure.

Murrell is rearrested and police charge him in connection with embezzlement

Police rearrested Murrell at 09:13, questioned him and charged him at 18:35 in connection with embezzlement of SNP funds. He was released and the evidence was prepared for prosecutors.

In everyday language: A police charge is a formal allegation. It was not yet a conviction or even a prosecutor's decision to take the case to court.

Police submit the Murrell prosecution report

Police passed prosecutors a standard prosecution report containing one embezzlement charge, then covering alleged conduct from 2016 to 2023. COPFS began its independent evidence and public-interest assessment.

In everyday language: Later examination traced the proved offending back to 2010 and narrowed the final amount. Earlier dates and totals remained allegations until the plea was agreed.

Police ask prosecutors for advice about Sturgeon and Beattie

Police submitted an advice-and-guidance request, including whether more inquiries were needed. It was not a prosecution report and neither person had been charged.

In everyday language: The distinction matters: police did not submit either Sturgeon or Beattie for prosecution.

Police say the Sturgeon and Beattie investigations remain live

Chief Constable Jo Farrell confirmed that the inquiries concerning Sturgeon and Beattie were still ongoing and gave no completion date. This was the accurate public position at the time.

The 2023 accounts show a surplus, with an audit limitation repeated

The accounts reported £4.75 million income, a £661,568 surplus, £441,939 net assets and £42,448 cash. The auditor again lacked documentation for some cash and cheque receipts from before July 2023.

Sturgeon announces that she and Murrell have separated

Sturgeon said the couple had separated some time earlier and were ending their marriage. This is personal context only; no causal connection to a charging decision or the facts of the offence is asserted.

Sturgeon says she will not stand at the 2026 Holyrood election

The announcement marked the approaching end of her parliamentary career. It is not evidence about the finance case, and this timeline does not claim the investigation caused it.

Police end the Sturgeon and Beattie investigations without charge

Police Scotland said Nicola Sturgeon and Colin Beattie had not been charged and were no longer under investigation. Scotland's prosecution service later said senior prosecutors found no charge or further inquiry was required, and a second independent senior lawyer agreed.

In everyday language: For Operation Branchform, this is the present legal status. A separate July 2026 complaint about Yes Scotland's finances does not publicly name Sturgeon as a suspect.

Murrell attends his first private court hearing

Murrell made no plea and was released on bail while the serious criminal case continued. The allegation at this early stage was described as more than £460,000.

In everyday language: This was the first private court hearing in a serious criminal case. No plea was taken, and prosecutors were allowed to keep preparing the case. The amount later proved was £400,310.65.

Prosecutors serve a High Court indictment

The indictment alleged that Murrell had embezzled £459,046.49. That figure was still an allegation: prosecutors and the defence later agreed a narrower proved total and an earlier start date.

A 318-page statement of agreed evidence is served

Prosecutors served a Statement of Uncontroversial Evidence and draft schedules running to 118 pages and more than 1,000 purchases. This reduced what would have needed to be proved by witnesses at a trial.

The preliminary hearing is moved to 25 May

The Crown and defence jointly asked for more preparation time because of the volume of material and the defence's position. A High Court judge granted the application.

In everyday language: The official record gives an ordinary case-preparation reason. It provides no basis for claims that the date was moved for political advantage.

Murrell instructs his lawyers to explore a guilty plea

This was not public at the time. COPFS disclosed after sentencing that Murrell's lawyers began discussions in March and formally confirmed on 21 May that he would plead guilty.

Murrell pleads guilty to one charge of embezzlement

At the High Court in Edinburgh, Murrell admitted embezzling £400,310.65 from the SNP between August 2010 and October 2022. He was remanded in custody for sentence.

In everyday language: This is the definitive criminal finding. Police never reported anyone for fraud, so describe the conviction as embezzlement—not fraud.

Sturgeon says she did not know about the crimes

Sturgeon said Murrell had betrayed her trust, denied knowing about his offending and said she was not responsible for it. This is her attributed account; the established legal fact is that she was not charged and no longer under investigation.

The full agreed account is read in court

The public finally receives the detailed, admitted story: hundreds of personal purchases, false expense claims and invoices, a Volkswagen, a Jaguar and the £124,550 motorhome. The total proved is £400,310.65.

In everyday language: COPFS warned that investigative material left out of this agreement was not proved and must not be treated as fact. The court record does not identify unnamed recipients or make Sturgeon responsible for omitted purchases.

The SNP says it is seeking recovery of the stolen money

The party executive reportedly authorised civil recovery action. John Swinney later told Parliament that, as the SNP's principal trustee, he had acted to seek return of the money.

In everyday language: Action to recover money is not the same as successful repayment. No cited source says the full loss has yet been returned.

Holyrood backs a broader independent review of party finance

An original Labour motion proposed a parliamentary inquiry specifically into Branchform and Murrell's conviction. An amendment replaced that with an independently led review covering all political parties. The amended motion passed 71–50.

In everyday language: It is incomplete to say simply that Parliament either approved or rejected a Branchform inquiry: the wording was changed before the final vote.

Murrell is sentenced to five years and three months

Lord Young set a seven-year sentence, then reduced it for the early guilty plea and backdated it to 25 May. The judge described prolonged, calculated dishonesty and a serious breach of trust, while also recording remorse and a low risk of reoffending.

The prosecution ends, but asset and property work continues

Scotland's prosecution service said the criminal case had concluded. Separate court action would try to recover money gained through the crime and decide what happened to seized property. Police confirmed that this work remained unfinished.

In everyday language: That is why this page does not say every part of Operation Branchform is closed.

The Electoral Commission reviews earlier SNP filings

The Commission said it was reviewing past accounts, declarations and disclosures after the conviction. It also said its annual checks found no evidence that £2,248,353 in public grants for party policy research and development had been misused.

In everyday language: A review is not a finding of wrongdoing. The public-grant checks and the wider post-conviction account review are two different things.

A Commons committee explores joint scrutiny with Holyrood

The Scottish Affairs Committee wrote to Scottish Parliament committees about possible joint work. Its announcement did not itself open a formal inquiry.

Police make inquiries into a separate Yes Scotland complaint

Police confirmed that they had received a complaint alleging that just over £1.5 million in Yes Scotland income was unaccounted for. Yes Scotland denied money was missing and later provided its accounts to police.

In everyday language: This is separate from Operation Branchform. As at 2 August, police had not publicly named Sturgeon—or anyone else—as a suspect, and no wrongdoing had been established.

Police release narrow records about warrants and the advice request

Police said they had sought no court orders compelling the SNP itself to provide financial information. A separate response confirmed the August 2024 advice request but withheld it and said the Crown held the 542-page prosecution review.

In everyday language: These disclosures answer limited questions. They do not prove broad claims that the party either fully co-operated with or obstructed every part of the inquiry.

The latest verified position

Murrell is serving a five-year-three-month sentence. Sturgeon and Beattie were not charged and are no longer under investigation in Operation Branchform. Asset recovery, the Electoral Commission review and police inquiries into the separate Yes Scotland complaint remain unfinished.

In everyday language: This page will change when an official source changes that position—not simply when a new allegation or anonymous claim appears.